The Run In
by SpyKid18
Summary: Rachel is taking an interview at Julliard when she runs into a familiar face.  Accusations, karaoke, and a whole lot of awkwardness follows.  ST BERRY.


**A/N: This is just a little St Jesse drabble. I hope you enjoy it!**

The Run-In

"Rachel." She recognizes the voice immediately. Hell, she would know that voice anywhere. She spins around, already knowing everything that will happen to her the moment their eyes meet. Sure enough, she finds him with an expectant grin and feels herself spiral downward.

Palms itch.

Throat goes dry.

Heartbeat quickens.

And all the while she is thinking that he has finally broken out of monochromatic colors and looks disarmingly handsome in his blue and white checkered button-up. It takes her several moments to find her voice (something only he could make her lose) and she says, "Hello, Jesse."

"How are you?" he asks.

"Good, and you?"

"Fine. So, you're here for an interview?" Inwardly she thanks him for assuming this right off the bat. The normal assumption would be a tour, not an interview. She nods her head and asks, "What about you? Shouldn't you be at UCLA?"

"I'm here for an interview too, actually. I go at 4:00." Rachel's face shows surprise. Her interview is at 4:30.

"What about UCLA?" she asks.

"It's not what I thought it was." Rachel is silent, thinking of how he was not what she thought, either. He as always understood her and can read her silence and change in expression as if it were musical notes. "I've changed, Rachel. I like to think I matured."

"You're actually admitting you had to mature?" Rachel asks with feigned astonishment.

"I broke an egg over your head," he says in answer and her eyes darken as she says, "Yes, I was there, remember?"

"You never answered any of my texts."

She echoes his previous words as she says, "You broke an egg over my head."

"And I am very sorry for that."

"I also deleted you from my phone," Rachel says, "And I don't respond to Unknown numbers."

Jesse grins slightly. "You probably could have figured out it was me, Rachel." She gives him a defiant look and he laughs lightly. "Alright, alright, there was due cause to not answer my texts."

"You bet there was."

"You're still mad at me," Jesse says after a moment. "It's been two years and you're still mad."

"You hurt me," she accuses, feeling all the shame and embarrassment that she had pushed down rise in her chest. "And I don't take well to being hurt."

"Well, I really am sorry. I know you probably don't believe me but I knew what I did was wrong. I knew I was an ass. I was just too immature to do the right thing and apologize."

"You're right," she says, looking up at him. "You _were_ an ass."

He chuckles and runs a hand messily through his curls. "So, where are you headed?"

"The office of admissions," she tells him. "My interview is right after yours, actually."

She sees something flash in Jesse's eyes but it is gone before she can discern what it is. He smiles down at her and asks, "Walk with me on the way? I mean, we are headed to the same place, after all."

"Don't think this means anything," she warns him.

"You know, in some countries this would count as an engagement," he teases. Despite her general wariness toward him, she gives a crack of a smile. They chat about nothing in particular as they walk. Rachel notices girls look at Jesse appreciatively as they walk and feels a characteristic stab of jealousy. Almost immediately after she feels a bit of misplaced pride that he is walking with her.

"How are things back at McKinley?"

"It's fine. Are you asking about New Directions or was the ambiguity of your question intended?"

Jesse grins. He had missed her sharp tongue. "I'm sorry, let me rephrase that. How is New Directions?"

"We're fine. You probably heard that we won Sectionals." He grins at her obvious grandstanding and says, "Yeah, I heard. Congratulations. I actually looked up the competition on youtube. Your rendition of _People_ had a lot of views."

"3, 457," she tells him without a trace of modesty. Jesse smiles and says, "I knew I could count on you for an accurate number."

"I just checked before I left," she admits.

"If you had Internet on your phone you could have a running number."

This wins him another hint of a smile but before he can try for another they are at the office and walking through the door. He opens it for her and watches her walk in, her hips swaying in a way that he swears is intentional. He catches up to her and they walk to Dr. Richardson's office. They both check in with the receptionist who takes an indulgent moment to smile up at Jesse before saying, "He will be with you in a moment."

They both sit down and Rachel notices for the first time that Jesse is nervous. Beads of perspiration dot his hairline and she finds herself reaching toward him and patting his arm awkwardly as she says, "Don't be jealous. Remember, you're Jesse St James."

He grins slightly. "Yes, I am."

"And if they do not see that then they are not worthy of your talent." There is a beauty to how simple that statement is and it does, indeed, calm his nerves. Well, at least part of them because the other part is sitting right next to him and he would be damned to send that part away. Just as he is about to say something to her the receptionist says, "He'll see you now, Mr. St James."

Jesse rises from his seat, smoothing his pants. He looks down at her and murmurs, "Good luck, Rachel. Maybe I'll see you around some time."

GLEE-GLEE-GLEE

Rachel was more than prepared for this interview. She had her transcripts with her, copies of all the playbills from shows she had starred in. There was one production where the director was stupid enough to cast her in a supporting role but she had left that playbill at home. She practiced answers for any plausible question and yet sitting outside of the office, she feels so nervous she can barely sit.

And she knows why she is nervous. It has nothing to do with her interview and all to do with the fact that Jesse St James would be exiting the room and making his way past her again. She fidgets terribly until he walks from the room and then she finds that she cannot move an inch.

"He's ready for you," Jesse says. She nods and he leaves without saying anything else. Embarrassment colors her cheeks as she thinks of all the scenarios she had played in her mind while she sat. Him walking away was not in any of them. Him having his way with her on the chair? Possibly.

She collects her thoughts (and herself), finally getting up from her chair and walking in to the office. She closes the door behind her and steps forward to claim her fate.

GLEE-GLEE-GLEE

She walks out of the office, feeling an elation only rivaled by when New Directions had won Regionals the year before. She remembered standing on the stage and hoisting up the hefty trophy. Pure joy is what she felt. Striding out of the admission's office she felt the same pure, unbridled joy. She is so happy, in fact, that she feels this inexplicable urge to laugh and as she walks out of the building she finds herself in a fit of giggles that even a hand clamped on her mouth cannot stop.

"I'm assuming this means it went well?"

His voice effectively cuts off her laughter and she collects herself momentarily before asking, "What are you still doing here?"

"Rachel, you wound me," he says with feigned discord. "I'm here for you."

"For me?"

"We didn't get to properly catch up and I would really like that."

Rachel thinks this over for a moment and decides that she, too, would rather enjoy _properly_ catching up and when she tells him so he says, "There is a café down the street. It has karaoke Tuesday nights."

It is Tuesday and just past five. Rachel doesn't hesitate. "Let's go."

GLEE-GLEE-GLEE

The place is fairly crowded and the two of them are crammed into a back corner, Jesse's head barely clearing a piece of shelving holding two worn coffee cups. Rachel looks around and murmurs, "This place must be popular." An amused grin graces her face as she adds, "Or maybe they heard we were coming."

Jesse laughs, leaning back in his chair. He feels the shelving unit nearly brushing his curls, though, and when he glances up he winces at the close proximity. "This is either low or I am particularly tall."

"I would go with the first," Rachel says. "So, this place has karaoke tonight?"

"It would appear so," he says, dipping his head toward the lone standing microphone. A girl steps in front of it and Rachel blushes when music begins to see.

"Silly me," she says softly. "I hope she's good."

"The chances are high, considering we are right near Julliard."

She grins. "Good point, Mr. St James."

The girl begins to sing and Jesse winces without meaning to. Not that he really minds showing his opinion on his face. He remembers the way his Vocal Adrenaline teammates had glared at him while he stared in awe at Rachel singing at Sectionals. Rachel has a similar look to his as she watches the girl and she clicks her tongue in disapproval as she says, "I will kill someone if she gets into Julliard over me."

Jesse is taking a sip of water and laughs so hard that water sprays at his face. He puts it down, wiping at his face and he says, "Same here, Rachel."

"What is she even singing?"

"Something from the eighties."

Rachel wrinkles her nose as if he had just sworn. "Ugh, gag me."

"Hold on," Jesse says suddenly, his eyes glued on the girl at the microphone. "This is not happening."

Rachel is similarly hypnotized by what is happening, the girl beginning some odd dance that seems a cross between waltz and hip hop. Rachel leans forward and says, "I cannot believe this."

"My eyes are burning," Jesse says slowly. "Yet, I cannot look away."

Rachel nods slowly, frowning when the girls begins using some serious hip action. "Okay, now this is just disturbing."

The girl grasps the microphone stand and does a movement so vulgar that the hypnosis is released and both Jesse and Rachel's eyes snap to each other, their mouths set into firm grimaces. Jesse breaks first, a chuckle escaping his lips as he says, "I feel the need to apologize for taking you here."

"Apology accepted."

"Well, we'll set the tone next," Jesse tells her with confidence. She raises one perfectly threaded eyebrow and asks, "Next?"

He nods, his smile turning downward at the girl's last off-tune note.

"Our torture has ended," Rachel jokes.

"Come on," he says, standing and dusting his hands on his pants. "Time to give these people some entertainment."

She nods her head, all business, and then allows herself to smile wide as he turns his back to her. She follows him up to the microphone and watches as he mumbles something to the DJ.

"What are we singing?" she asks when he returns.

"You'll see," he says.

"But-"

"Trust me, you know all the words."

Rachel hates being out of control and feels the familiar pull of irritation that the tour-de-force of Jesse St James brings. All negativity drops from her when the song begins. She looks over at him with wide eyes and murmurs, "You brought me Barbra."

He grins.

The song is not a Barbra standard and Rachel is surprised that he even knows it. _Guilty_ is a duet between the great Babs and Barry Gibb of the BeeGees. It is a song that holds a certain place in Rachel's heart because throughout their brief romance she had sung it nearly compulsively in the shower, imagining his as her male lead. She glances over at him and feels a blush creep on her cheeks when she finds his eyes on her.

The first verse is hers and she picks it up without a problem. She can feel the room's attention pulling to her. It is a similar feeling to when they sang together in that music store. It is different than being on a stage or under bright lights. It is simply being noticed, something both more personal and exhilarating. The chorus comes and she feels the same rush of emotions she had felt all those years ago as she would sing it to herself in the shower.

_And we have nothing to be guilty of_

_Our love will climb any mountain_

_Near or far _

_We are_

_And we never let it end_

_We are devotion_

_And we have nothing to be sorry for_

_Our love is one in a million_

_Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky_

_Don't wanna hear your good bye_

She prepares herself for his voice, steeling herself toward it, but she still finds herself shivering when he starts. His voice is like velvet, smooth and rich. She could drown in that voice, content to hear nothing else for as long as she lived. He glances over at her as he approaches the chorus and her heart skips a beat. It is happening. Two years of wishing and she will finally hear her voice with his again.

This time they will sing together.

The chorus seems to take on an entirely different mood with his voice melding with hers. The lyrics are deeper, more sensual, and she can see a few eyes avert at the sudden passion that had taken over the performance. She doesn't want it to be this way. She wants it all to go back to being simply karaoke in a café near Julliard.

She knows it has gone too far.

Their eyes are locked, clearly now singing only for themselves. For each other. He is too close to her now, the shared microphone making her feel claustrophobic. His hand brushes hers and without fully realizing it she is brushing back and their fingers begin to stage their own sort of dance until they are firmly curled around each other.

The song ends and the applause is deafening but not nearly as deafening as the sound of Rachel's heart, beating so hard that she can feel it in her toes. Jesse is looking down at her, his lips parted slightly in a way that makes him look just so damn kissable and before she can think herself out of it she reaches up and tugs his head down to hers. Their bodies press tightly against each other as the applause grows even louder. Still, they don't pull apart even when the DJ begins to clearly make noises between them. Rachel doesn't think she even knows how to exist without his mouth on hers anymore. She can hardly tell her lips, her tongue, from his and he is holding her so tightly that trying to solve this particularly pleasant conundrum is hardly an option.

The protestations of the DJ eventually override their passion, though, and they pull away, smiling sheepishly at the audience. Not yet in full control of herself, Rachel gives a little curtsy and laughs into her hand as Jesse executes a series of stage bows. He grabs her hand again and they return to their table. Neither of them speak for a moment but they share a grin that refuses to dim. Finally Jesse says, "Rachel Berry, you do realize that you kissed me."

"I was caught up in the moment," she says with a coy smile.

He leans forward. "So, does this mean that I get to reclaim a spot in your phone?"

She matches his posture and murmurs, "That is definitely a possibility."

**A/N: Hope you liked the St. Berry love :D **


End file.
